Water is really important for children like you and me.

Water is really important for children like you and me. It helps our bodies to move and our minds to think. It helps us to stay healthy. Other than air, water is the most important substance that our bodies need. Your body could only survive for about five days without water. If you start to increase the amount of water you drink you could find you have more energy and be alert. So you can do homework and play games better, and enjoy your time more with friends and family.

The word we use when we have drunk the right amount of water is hydrated and if we have not had enough water and our body has dried out then we call this dehydrated. One easy way to know if we are dehydrated is if we are thirsty. Having a thirst is our body telling us we need more water. Ideally we should always drink enough water so that we never get thirsty.

There are other ways we can tell if we are dehydrated:

A red face
Dry and warm skin
Unable to go for a wee
Dizziness
Feeling weak or having little energy
Headaches
Crying but with no tears
Dry mouth
Cramping in the arms or legs. Cramp is where the muscle tightens up and contracts too hard.

If we become very dehydrated then we can become very poorly, such as:

Rapid and deep breathing
Severe shaking of the body known as convulsions
Very bad cramp
Swelling up of the tummy
Problems with the heart, the heart pumps your blood around the body so it is a very important part of your body

So this is what you need to do:

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. This should be between 1.5 and 2.0 litres per day.
Make sure you have a bottle of water with you so you can have a drink when you want to.
Never get thirsty as that means you are already dehydrated.
Make sure you drink extra water when you are exercising.

By doing all these things it will help you feel better and enjoy playing with your friends and learning more at school.